SHAH ALAM, July 16 — The Selangor Government is confident of achieving high-income state status through a series of comprehensive planning and development initiatives that encompass various economic sectors, talent development and the provision of quality education and careers.

Caretaker Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said with a high population, efficient economic management and excellent basic infrastructure, Selangor could follow in the footsteps of Sarawak, Penang and Kuala Lumpur, which were earlier recognised as high-income states by the World Bank.

Without setting a specific timeframe for achieving the target, Amirudin, who was appointed to lead the state government in June 2018, said various programmes have been formulated to ensure Selangor remained an advanced and modern state that served as the main engine of the national economy and the largest contributor to the gross domestic product (GDP) at the national level.

The Gombak Member of Parliament said for that purpose, Selangor, which has approximately seven million populations, is currently actively promoting and providing opportunities for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to the youth to produce local skilled workers who could meet the demands of high-tech industries, both present and future.

"Selangor has indeed set a specific target to achieve high-income state status and considering the population size, the encouraging economic development each year and the excellent infrastructure, we believe that goal can be achieved,” he told Bernama in an exclusive interview.

He said the initiatives towards this target have begun to bear fruit with several collaborations established between Selangor and technology giants such as Apple Inc, Festo and Siemens Malaysia followed by a collaboration with Dassault Systemes, which would be signed in September, to provide TVET workforce resources.

Selangor recorded the best GDP performance at the national level with a report by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM) showing a growth of 25.5 per cent last year with the service and manufacturing sectors being the largest contributors.

He said this achievement demonstrated Selangor’s ability to move towards becoming a high-income state even though it was achieved during the Covid-19 pandemic and the implementation of Movement Control Orders as well as flood disasters.

According to the DoSM report, Selangor recorded a consistent increase in GDP contribution each year with 24 per cent in 2016/2017 and 24.5 per cent in 2018/2019.

Additionally, Amirudin said the Selangor government has also prepared a blueprint for industrial development, state public transportation, the Selangor Smart State as well as the First Selangor Plan (RS-1), which was formulated to drive comprehensive, sustainable and continuous state development in the present and future.

He said RS-1 was presented at the State Assembly (DUN) on July 27 and was developed as a detailed planning and an effort by the state government to ensure planned development.

Through RS-1, the state government also aims to make Selangor a smart, inclusive and prosperous state by 2025.

On the achievements during his term as Menteri Besar, Amirudin, who is also the assemblyman for Sungai Tua, said the slogan "Kita Selangor”, which he introduced, has successfully shaped the culture and identity among state civil servants, politicians and the community to work together to ensure the state progresses as the "engine of the national economy” despite facing simultaneous challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic, global economic slowdown and political crises.

"With the spirit of ‘Kita Selangor’, we are able to create a successful team that drives the administration and development of Selangor, capable of placing the state at the forefront of economic management as Selangor continues to maintain its position as the largest contributor to the nation’s income,” he said.

He said that during this term alone, three district councils, namely Kuala Langat District Council, Kuala Selangor District Council and Hulu Selangor District Council, have been upgraded to municipal councils while Subang Jaya Municipal Council has been elevated to city council status, following the earlier recognition given to Shah Alam and Petaling Jaya.

Amirudin said this recognition proved that under the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration, Selangor has successfully developed the state in various aspects, including the economy, infrastructure and social sectors, leading to continuous and rapid development in these areas while meeting the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) set by the Ministry of Local Government Development for obtaining municipal council and city council status.

He added that this recognition meant that Sabak Bernam remained the only district with district council status out of the 12 local authorities in Selangor. — Bernama